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 New Mexico
May 24, 2006
First of all, let's clear up any potential confusion.
New Mexico is one the 50 U.S. states, not part of the neighboring republic of Mexico. This clarification is for
the benefit of my readers who live outside of the U.S., as well as any Americans who're a bit shaky on their geography
- not an uncommon trait in this country! Don't laugh. I once read a survey revealing that a shockingly high percentage
of U.S. citizens are totally confused on this issue. So no, I did not move back "south of the
border". So yes, I am now living in New Mexico and how I got here requires some story telling.
While staying in Phoenix, Arizona last fall I was contemplating my next move, not being totally clear about just
what that might be, yet feeling that it could somehow involve sustainable living: residing within the self-perpetuating
limits of an environment and not dependant on outside sources for my survival. As I've mentioned before, I'd visited
a couple of "intention sustainable communities" this past summer and consequently was further educated
and inspired. I thought perhaps I might do some building, gardening, utilizing renewable energy resources, animal
husbandry, etc. I don't believe that life is a series of insignificant, unrelated events and when I make choices,
I look for clues and trust my instincts.
I also believe that being self-sustainable demands knowledge of a healthy lifestyle. I have a strong interest and
background in health-related fields and have long felt that it's essential that we learn to be our own doctors,
to take responsibility for our wellness. Out-of-control costs in the medical industry and the overwhelming emphasis
within it on drugs and surgery have long put Americans (in particular) in the profit-oriented system that leads
towards "unwellness": disease and a debilitating decline towards a premature death. I know that one way
we can all be more proactive is by learning how to produce more of our own food. The day will come when it just
might save our lives. I've recently become much more aware of this while discovering the "Living Foods
Lifestyle".
In 2004, my son Matt went to the Ann Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico to attend a two-week seminar on this
nutritional program - one based on the knowledge that eating raw foods that still contain their life force will
not only enhance health, but also virtually prevent disease. Ann Wigmore developed the Living Foods Lifestyle to
overcome illness and improve the quality of life. I've found that this approach to eating has benefited me tremendously.
(www.annwigmore.org)
Meanwhile, Matt had heard about a place in New Mexico that followed this philosophy and was undergoing preparation
to run programs similar to the one he'd done in Puerto Rico - and they needed a gardener! It's called the Living
Foods Learning Center and I'll give you a little background. Ann Wigmore started the Hippocrates Institute
in Boston in 1963 and ran it with huge success for many visitors until it burned down in 1994, tragically killing
her. When the Institute was still going, Ann's primary assistant was Shu Chan, a Taiwanese immigrant, and  before
dying Wigmore asked Shu to start the Ann Wigmore Foundation in N. Mexico, just west of Albuquerque. She did, but
eventually left and has since, in partnership with a guy named Dwayne Madsen, initiated this new center in southern
New Mexico near Columbus.
I contacted them about a possible work-trade situation since I have considerable experience as a gardener and thought
that that would be a perfect situation for me - doing something I love while living out in nature and following
the Living Foods Lifestyle. I called them, spoke with Dwayne, and we agreed I'd come down and see how that would
work out for us both. This was in early November of last year,
On the way to New Mexico, I spent five days in Tucson visiting my friends Ginny and Kate, plus hanging around a
city I'd occasionally been to, but didn't know that intimately. This time around, I could leisurely explore Tucson,
especially the alternative 4th Avenue area where the Food Conspiracy Co-op, coffee shops and boutiques are. I stopped
in and visited with Shannon, a woman I'd met while traveling with my son in Guatemala. She'd been there with her
teenage daughter who had since been tragically killed in a car accident. Shannon owns Piney-Hollow bead store on
4th Avenue and had built an amazing shrine in her shop to celebrate McKensie's short but vibrant and impactful
life.
Tucson is a smaller version of Phoenix: cookie-cutter subdivisions and shopping complexes, along with a similar
climate and cultural feel. Tucsonans fiercely defend their city as being much more livable than their larger and
more northern rival, but I frankly don't see much improvement. However, I did enjoy my time there, especially when
I got to do a hike in Sabino Canyon. Conveniently on the edge of town, it's part of the Catalina Mountains within
the Coronado State Park and is a magical place to connect with Mother Earth. Ginny and I were able to really experience
some remote hiking. It's gorgeous!
Finally, it was time for another unpleasant encounter with Greyhound (they should change the name to Snailhound!).
I was now off to the Living Foods Learning Center and headed first to Deming, about 40 minutes away where arrangements
had been made for me to be picked up. But instead of arriving when I was supposed to at 4:40 pm, I got there at
8:40! After departing from Tucson on Greyhound at 1:40 (nearly an hour late), we stopped at McDs for a break in
Lordsburg, just into New Mexico. Once we left, the bus got a flat tire. So the driver limped the bus back to Lordsburg
where it took an incredible 2 ¾ hours to change one tire. I could almost do an entire On the Road
on that comedy of errors!
When we finally got to Deming (which was only about 50 miles away) Dwayne and Shu had left about 10 minutes before
my arrival since they had no clue what was happening. While fending off drunks begging for beer money, I called
their home and when they got back they saw the message, Shu drove back and picked me up. I arrived at the center
about 10:45…. tired and hungry, but ecstatic to be there.
 The Center resides in the high desert and is quite isolated with mild weather at above 4,300 feet elevation,
near the Continental Divide. It was wonderfully peaceful with no traffic, loud music or dogs barking. The property,
80 acres backed up against a vast Bureau of Land Management area, has about 15 to 20 buildings on it, some not
finished yet, and in the distance are several rolling mountains. It's truly amazing what's been done in the less
than five years since they bought the property and started the center. Shu's the master of the kitchen and Dwayne
the master of construction. They use solar power (totally off the grid) and have all kind of projects going on
- very impressive.
A sizable vegetable and herb garden plus many fruit trees are thriving and that's where I was to come into the
picture. I'd get paid $100/week (plus room and board) to do the gardening and eventually I'd be teaching some of
the three-week long classes that guests would come for each month. Now I had a job that'd support me while learning
skills that I could impart to others to help our planet survive any pending apocalypse. I could make a difference
while living an idyllic life. Perfect, I thought.
The first day, I relaxed and went for a hike through the desert into some nearby, low-lying hills. I saw lots of
jackrabbits, plus evidence of illegal immigrants crossing their land: empty water bottles strewn here and there;
fences cut and areas protected by overhanging rocks with indications that people had been hiding and resting during
the day - only to travel by night, careful to avoid being spotted by the Border Patrol. Tragically, they sometimes
perish under the harsh circumstances, but fortunately I saw no evidence of that!
I spent the next day clearing peppermint and spearmint plants, laying them out on wooden racks to dry. That night
I approached Shu to discuss some details about my living arrangements. Within a few minutes, she informed me that
Dwayne had decided that I "wasn't going to work out". To say I was shocked is a major understatement.
That very moment Dwayne walked in and I asked him what this was all about… how he'd come to this conclusion so
soon that I wouldn't "work out". He said that he'd known that as soon as he'd seen me, "just by
looking at me."
When I asked him what he'd seen when he'd "just looked at me" that'd given him that resounding conclusion,
he replied, "Oh, I just knew!"… and that was all he said. In all candor, I'd observed Dwayne to be a
rather gruff, disagreeable fellow (albeit exceptionally bright and talented). In fact, in a previous conversation
I'd overheard how he'd once fired his very own father with him consenting that he was "a son of a bitch to
work for". I have no reason to disagree.
I'd felt that I'd come there under false pretenses, that I'd gone through a lot of trouble to get there, and that
I would be given a fair chance to prove myself - but hadn't. Shu agreed with me, apologized and said she'd pay
for a bus ticket to get me back to Phoenix. In summary, let me say this: Shu is a delight, an absolute angel who
might be the foremost living authority on the Living Foods Lifestyle. In five years of preparation to open, they've
never succeeded in securing a gardener and I think we all know the reason why! I wish them well.
A side note - while there I met a fellow you might eventually hear about, if you haven't already. His name is Ivan
Thompson and he's known as the Cowboy Cupid, since he'd run a business hooking up lonely American men with
desperate Mexican brides. He's quite a character and has written a book that's been made into an award-winning
movie: "Cowboy Del Amor". In addition to giving me a copy of the book, he kept me entertained
one evening with hilarious stories. For a movie review, go to: www.ubercine.com/CowboydelAmor-GW.html.
After returning to the Valley of the Sun, I tried to overcome my bitter disappointment while striving to come up
with another plan. About this time, I was contacted by the manager of the ashram where Matt and I'd stayed in Taos
while traveling westward last September. They were contemplating replacing their current caretakers and she was
interested in me, provided all the necessary procedures could work out. Under this plan, I'd live at the ashram
and do what caretakers do for a small, but adequate stipend. Since I like Taos very much and felt that this would
be a terrific environment to live and work in, I told her I'd be interested.
While considering this option, I was invited in early December by my friend Stacy to take a road trip back into
New Mexico. She was considering buying land there to eventually build a self-sustainable home and, along with a
friend of hers (Winona), said she'd cover my expenses if I'd come along in support of her venture. I was quick
to agree!
First we went to Silver City, a tiny little town tucked away in the southwest of the state, surrounded by 3.3 million
acres of the Gila National Forest. I'd never heard of the place, but Matt had told me it had a fabulous health
food co-op… a great bonus! We scoped out the town and noticed that there seemed to be a lot going on there. We
were all clearly impressed and while there looked at some property in that area. Though there was nothing specific
they were interested in, we all felt that Silver (as the locals call it) could be a great home.
On we traveled, stopping in several areas over a ten-day time frame. In Truth or Consequences, we savored
the natural, thermal hot springs in a rooftop hot tub - water temperature of 112 degrees - while gazing at the
stars! East of there is the White Sands Missile Range area, flat as a pancake where they do various kinds of weapons
testing and this includes the Trinity Site where the first atomic bomb was detonated in July 1945. It's frightfully
desolate and a bit spooky!
Nearby, and in vast contrast, are the higher elevation and lush scenery of Ruidoso and a few other small
communities. Not far away is the International UFO Museum & Research Center at Roswell where in 1947
there occurred the infamous "alien incident" that people are still talking about. We weren't interested
enough to check it out.
Then, on to northern New Mexico where Stacy and I (Winona had returned to Phoenix by then) went to Ojo Caliente
Mineral Spas (www.ojocalientespa.com), an amazing
array of natural spas. Moving from one steaming pool to another, most of them outdoors, is a delight. We stopped
briefly in both Taos and Sante Fe and found it to be much colder there… a concern. Here and there along the way
we checked out a few properties and the general livability of each area.
West of Taos on route 64 we encountered Angel's Nest, which I'd previously discovered on the internet. Go
to www.angels-nest.org and check this place out. To quote
from their website, "Angel's Nest, the sustainable energy demonstration showcase in Taos, New Mexico, built
by Robert Plarr and Victoria Peters, incorporates wind and solar power, a renewable hydrogen fueling station, and
integrated greenhouses in a unique closed loop, grid-independent energy and water replenishment cycle."
We went on the tour and it's an incredible place!
New Mexico is sparsely populated and spectacular! With a population of about 1,800,000, only five other states
have fewer people per square mile. The landscape ranges from rose-colored deserts to mountains that are snow-capped
most of the year and exploring this state takes you through some exceptionally remote and spectacular countryside.
One area I'd never been to and really enjoyed was the mid-western part and to get there we drove west on Rt. 60
out of Socorro. We saw few other vehicles and plenty of jaw-dropping scenery. Along the way, we spotted sizable
herds of antelope, plus a magnificent bald eagle that was consuming some road-kill on the highway (let's not forget
that our national bird is a scavenger…. hmmm!).
Once we neared the Arizona border, we turned south on Rt. 180 back into Silver City where we spent another night
and further confirmed our interest in it…. before returning to Phoenix. I'd remained in contact with the manager
of Neem Karoli Baba Ashram in Taos, hoping that something would pan out. I stayed in Phoenix throughout the holidays,
spending Christmas Eve camping with Matt in the desert north of the Valley, continuing to wonder what I'd do.
But I had felt a special connection with Silver City and I looked into possible work situations there, particularly
within the field of sustainable living. While in Silver, I'd picked up a copy of the local free community newspaper
called Desert Exposures (www.desertexposure.com)
and noticed that this pressing issue was on the minds of many residents in the city and that there were several
groups involved in developing the necessary skills.
I emailed as many as I could, inquiring about job possibilities, and while doing so got on an email mailing list
of guy named John Fridinger, who's taken on the role of a kind of community bulletin board. Anything going on gets
publicized by him. Through his emails, I found out that the local Volunteer Center needed an Executive Director,
and after speaking by phone with a woman on the Board of Directors, we both decided I should come and interview
for the job. So I did. The situation in Taos wasn't working out, no fault of my contact there. It was taking a
long time to get it done and I couldn't keep waiting. Plus I really liked Silver City!
I packed up all my stuff and in mid-January, Stacy drove me there since she was returning to look at more land.
The day after I got to Silver, I had my interview, which went quite well. I mentioned to the board that I was looking
for a place to stay and one member immediately offered a place to stay "free for two weeks". Brilliant!
I had yet to get a job, but I was now living there!
While waiting for the board to complete its interviewing and decision making process, I continued to investigate
other job options, walking my butt off and talking with as many people as I could. I networked like crazy. I passed
out my resume everywhere I could, entertaining numerous alternatives as a backup, including the local food co-op.
Meanwhile, I kept learning more about the town and finding more about it I loved. During my networking, I encountered
a house to live in that was very well-located and affordable - just about the same time as I learned that the Volunteer
Center had hired someone else. They'd liked me and were ready to hire me (despite my lack of experience in this
specific kind of position), but at the last minute a better qualified candidate had shown up.
I was a bit bummed out, but still certain that I belonged in Silver City. And then my ship came in, so to speak.
I was hired as a "Fitness Instructor" at the Billy Casper Wellness Center, a job I was thrilled
with since health and fitness were of great interest to me, plus the Director and my immediate supervisor were
very, very cool! The pay isn't that great, but my lifestyle is a simple one. I pay only $250/month for a rent and
don't drive a car, which is huge cost savings, especially the way the oil companies have been raping consumers
these days! I got a terrific bicycle and go everywhere via my legs without generating further pollution of the
environment.
My job involves both staffing the front desk and helping out members on the gym floor with their workouts. At the
front desk I greet those entering, answer the phone, respond to questions and sign up new members, and do some
data entry into the computer. That can get a bit boring, at times, and sometimes the people I'm dealing with are
less than shall we say "nice". The director Brian says I'm "working at Ground Zero… it's an opportunity
to practice love and compassion". Yeah, no kidding! It's been a reminder for me of how incredibly rude
and insensitive Americans can be, though 99% of the people are terrific.
What I prefer doing is assisting those who want and need help in their exercising - showing them the proper way
to use equipment and get fit and healthy. Sometimes nutrition comes up, or we talk about yoga or other methods.
(For my entire adult life, I've believed that wellness comes  from addressing all four parts of who we are: physical, emotional, mental and
spiritual.) That part is very fulfilling, plus I enjoy the conversations and have made some quality friends at
the Center - which, by the way, is part of the Gila Regional Medical Center, a very progressive hospital
and an affiliate of the National Planetree Alliance (www.grmc.org).
Silver is a tiny city of just over 10,000, tucked away at 5926 feet amongst 3.3 million acres of Gila National
Forest. The definitive descriptive word is "funky". It's an historic mining town from the 1870s where
Billy the Kid grew up and the U.S. army sent in troops to quell "the Indian problem" that resulted from
Apache raids on those who stole their land. Geronimo was one of the leaders who made his mark here!
About 60% of the population is of Hispanic ancestry, though the Mexican-American culture has been severely watered
down, so to speak. Over the generations, the Spanish language has become less used - partly due to the fact that
Anglos who controlled the mines and the schools forbid the use of it! Now, most younger Hispanics cannot and/or
will not speak Spanish. In fact, when a rare non-English-speaking Latino family came into the Center to get information
and join, I was elected to handle it - despite the fact that one of our staff is 100% Mexican-American. But she
doesn't speak Spanish! And there's little evidence of any desire to hold on to their "Mexican heritage".
Example: I saw absolutely no evidence of any Cinco de Mayo celebrations at all, and this holiday is normally a
super big deal!
Phelps Dodge (huge mining company) is the largest local employer. In addition, there're several social service
agencies as New Mexico is the third poorest state in the U.S. What wealth does exist seems to be mostly in the
north of the state, particularly in Taos and Sante Fe, and locals view those two cities as being "trendy and
pretentious" and often say, "I hope we never turn out like that!"
Walking around town, you'll see an interesting mix of both newcomers and those whose families have been here for
generations: ranchers, farmers, artists (loads of galleries), hippies (old and young), "hikey-climby"
types, and a sizable Gay and Lesbian population which has bought up much of the Historic District and set up attractive
shops, restaurants, coffee houses, etc. There's a Sufi community and three Buddhist groups (Vajrayana, Theravada
and Zen) active in town and most of them meet regularly at the Church of What's Happenin' - no joke!
Western New Mexico University has about 1,500 students and helps contribute to a cultural scene that's surprisingly
varied and high quality. Among the productions I've seen was a fun and well-done play by a group called the Virus
Theatre that was in an old warehouse… of course! This coming weekend is the 11th Annual Blues Festival (www.silvercity.org/dest_blues_festival.php) - including the likes of Phil Guy and legendary
Odetta. Two weeks ago was the Gila River Festival, with arts, music and seminars. The first weekend of the month
was the 21st Annual Tour of the Gila Staged Bicycle Race (www.tourofthegila.com),
a world-class bike race with riders from all over that really had the area buzzing!
I'm getting really spiffy t-shirts volunteering for these events!
I really like the feel of this town. It's incredibly laidback and everyone waves or says hello to everyone else
and if you don't acknowledge someone's greeting it'll automatically be assumed that you're from out-of-town! Now
that I've been here almost four months, I recognize people I know everywhere I go! The pace is easy-going, the
air is clean, the weather is mild and there's plenty to keep me occupied. After having lived where I have the last
few years, I need a home like this. There's no way I could've settled down in a conventional community!
There're some residents who feel the need to occasionally zoom off to either El Paso, Texas or Tucson, Arizona,
both about two hours drive away, to get their fix of shopping malls (we thankfully have none), fancy restaurants
(as in East Indian) or Trader Joes. There is an excellent health food co-op here which provides all my needs for
produce and other staples, plus warm weather means that the Farmer's Market is now happening every Saturday morning.
In summary, I've pretty much fallen in love with Silver City and feel I could live here a long, long time!
Until our next little chat... peace,
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In peace,